The first lie I told myself was that he was just an old friend. I wish it had been the only lie because the other lies would destroy us all.
I close my eyes as I hear him speak. I take one very long and deep breath hoping to calm the immediate butterflies that take flight in my stomach and hope to slow down the racing of my heart. The voice was slightly deeper but the timbre was one that was achingly familiar.
My actions did little to help, but then who was I kidding? A deep breath wasn’t going to fix the effect he had on me and my body’s inevitable reaction. Even the memories that would forever haunt me couldn’t keep my emotions from triggering at the nearness of him once again.
I used to pray that I’d find the strength to move on from him, from the pain that the end carried, from the emptiness in my chest, but ultimately move on from—the loss of Creed Sullivan and the death of his sister, Cora.
The Sullivans had been the best part of my summers in New England.
Deep down, I always knew my ache for all that I had lost was the reason I returned…
But I hadn’t expected to see him again—especially not like this.
Abbi Glines returns with a new standalone that feels like coming home after not reading her books for a long while. Her books always hit the spot with romance and perfect angst to have you glued to the pages. This novel deals with topics that are tough and are life altering for our two main characters. It’s a grittier novel for Glines and she illustrates the hard journey it can be for a second chance love story. Set in New England, it has the harsh winter as a background as Sailor and Creed attempt to rebuild their life.